Riverbrooke Cross Border Project

The Riverbrooke Cross-Border Initiative is a very important part of the work of Riverstown Enterprise Development (Sligo) Ltd.

The Riverbrooke partnership has been in existence for over 15 years and links us with Brookeborough & District Community Development Association, Co Fermanagh. The partnership has grown from a tentative relationship between two community groups with a few casual exchanges to a full-time project with a huge programme of activity, employing 3 staff, with an office in Riverstown and an office in Brookeborough. The Project has benefited in the past through funding from the Peace II Fund and is currently funded by the International Fund for Ireland through the Northern Ireland Rural Development Council under its Integrating Communities Programme.

The Project is a cradle to grave project involving primary schools, teenagers, young adults older people and groups in the community that in the past would have had no contact.

We run

DISCUSSION GROUPS

Discussion Groups, Looking back at the troubles with a view to moving forward to a brighter better future.

Seminars to help open dialogue on issues that are in the community but not spoken about.

Residential Seminars to help build confidence in the community leaders of the future

CULTURAL

Cultural Experiences to bring people into “new” situations in a spirit of understanding and learning, to help build quality cross community understanding.

These events include cross community involvement in July 12th in Brookeborough, Harvest in CoI Colebrooke, Morrison Traditional Music Festival, Riverstown and an Advent Carol Service in Riverstown CoI to name a few.

YOUTH

Recently our Youth Group have on A DVD to capture the experiences of people who have lived through the troubles in both Brookeborough & Riverstown, This resulted in the a production called “Voices” wich can be viewed from our website. This year the Youth Group are working on a Website that will be a resource for young people, it will provide information on things to do for young people, links to advice on many issues facing young people such as mental health, drug awareness, alcohol etc. Through this area of the project the youth members will also complete workshops on the areas included in the website to aid their own personal development. This group is a cross border one made up of 15 + y/o young people from both Riverstown and Brookeborough areas.

We are happy to say we have now started our Cross-Community Youth Club in Brookeborough, After a summer of hard work in association with the volunteer leaders we launched in early September and are happy to say there are now 35 members and 8 dedicated leaders.

PRIMARY SCHOOLS

The 7 Primary Schools in our area have just completed two cross community Fun days at the share Centre, Lisnaskea. During the School Year 2011 / 12 they are participating in an ART COMPETITION titled “MY COMMUNITY” and in the spring of 2012 they will undertake a cultural awareness project.

HISTORY of THE GROUP

We first made contact with Brookeborough Development Group in 1995 through our shared interest in vintage. As we came to know each other we began to explore the possibility of working together and undertook a number of small projects. In 2002 we successfully applied for funding under the EU Peace II programme and were awarded €350,000 to engage in cross-border work and Riverbrooke was formally launched. In the period August 2009 to July 2012 The International Fund for Ireland (IFI) have awarded us in excess of €343,000 under the Northern Ireland Rural Development Council (RDC) Integrating Communities Programme.

We are grateful to the IFI for their support of our project and we acknowledge the help of the RDC who manage the fund on behalf of the IFI.

Riverbrooke is committed to the ideal of a cross-border/cross-community, peace project, delivered through a dedicated partnership. This unique project is innovative and exciting and a positive example of how communities can come together to enjoy shared interests, explore common concerns and acknowledge and celebrate diversity.